Mike Safo

Joined today by former Atlanta Brave Pitcher, Madison Younginer. Madison talks about growing up in South Carolina, the food he misses most when he's on the road and other sports he played as a child. We chat about being the Gatorade player of the year in South Carolina, what other schools besides Clemson had a shot at getting him, and how crazy his H.S. games were with all the scouts. We go over mock drafts, selecting a family advisor and how he found out that he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. We discuss reporting to the minor leagues, playing with Mookie Betts, Elsbury, Victorino, and other future stars. Madison opens up about his injuries while in the minors, mentally dealing with the changing of destinations, and how he dealt with the roller coaster of emotions with every good and bad start. We hear about how Madison's night started with putting whiskey into a cup and ended with him getting notified that he was going to the Major Leagues. He talks about his first game in St. Louis, his first strike out

Joined today by former Eagles legend and New Orleans Saint, Hollis "Tank" Thomas. Hollis talks about growing up in St. Louis, why he didn't play football until High School, and when the moment was that Hollis knew he wanted to play defense. He tells us why he chose to attend Northern Illinois, checking the mock drafts and making a highlight VHS tape and sending them out to all 30 NFL teams. We hear about the disappointment of not getting drafted, the teams that reached out and why he choose to sign with the Eagles. We discuss his first training camp, when he realized he belonged, his welcome to the NFL moment and the things he had to do as a rookie. Tank talks about his time with the Eagles, why he was the missing link in the NFC championship draught and how they celebrated after punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. Tank reminisces about Super Bowl 39, his thoughts of Spy-Gate and how the Eagles players dealt with that heartbreaking loss. Tank talks a little about McNabb's "stomach issues", playing for An

Joined today by former Park Ranger and now author, Andrea Lankford.  Andrea and I talk about what led her to be a park ranger, the stunning landscape that is her workplace and what caused her to retire after only 12 years. We chat about her first book “Ranger Confidential”; when she knew she had a hit on her hands and other books she wrote. Andrea shares her newest book “Trails of the Lost” and how she got involved in these three fascinating missing person cases.  We go over in depth about the three missing hikers, the facts surrounding their mysterious disappearances and our theories on what happened. Andrea was on both sides: law enforcement and now amateur detective.  We discuss the pros/cons of both sides, how social media can help and hurt an investigation and what can be done to help out the foundation for missing hikers.  We also talk about all the hats a park ranger wears and how that can lead to low morale and getting burnt out. Andrea talks about how her investigation with her book led her to mariju

Joined today by 2-time World Series Champion and MLB veteran, "The King" Jim Leyritz. Jim talks about growing up in Cincinnati, idolizing Pete Rose and the life changing advice Johnny Bench gave him when he was 14. We hear why Jim abandoned his basketball dreams, breaking his foot right before the MLB draft and how he ended up at the University of Kentucky. Jim chats about meeting the Yankee scout who would eventually sign him, winning a batting title in the minor leagues and two awesome Deion Sanders stories from their time playing together. Jim shares getting called up to the show in 1990, his first hit, his first hit off Clemens at the stadium, and his "feud" with Bucky Dent. Jim recalls his dramatic 1995 home run against the Mariners  in the 15th inning in Mattingly's last game. We discuss the 1996 World Series, his game 4 iconic home run, catching the infamous 1-0 game 5 and celebrating the 1996 title. Jim tells us why he wanted to be traded in 1997, and why he jumped from the Angels - Rangers - Red Sox

Joined today by former light middleweight champion of the world Sadam Ali and co-host, former boxer Will “Power” Rosinsky. This episode was recorded from Sadam’a gym in Brooklyn. We chat about how Sadam and Will met each other, their initial thoughts on each other’s skills and how Sadam eating at a restaurant alone got us together. Sadam gets right into it and announces that he’s on the verge of a comeback to the ring, we hear why he’s coming back, who he has his eyes set and why he’s a better boxer now. We go back to Sadam at 8 years old falling in love with the sweet science, idolizing Prince Naseem and his fathers influence on his career and life. We talk about winning the golden gloves, being the first Arab-American to resplendent the USA at the Olympics, meeting Kobe Bryant, and where that Ralph Lauren outfit is. Sadam chats about his 22-0 record, his first defeat to Jesse Vargas and then we talk about his career defining match against Miguel Cotto. We hear how that fight got made, how it felt being an u

Joined today by Head Coach of the Philippines National Baseball team, former Oakland A's draft pick in 1990 and head coach of LA Pierce College, Coach Bill Picketts. Bill and I talk about his first year at Long Beach State, their Cinderella run to the College Baseball World Series, and where the name "Dirtbags" came from. We hear about how Bill got the call in 1990 that he was drafted, his time in the minors and how at the age of 23 did he know it was time to hang up the cleats and go into coaching. Bill and I discuss his jump from coaching the freshman high school baseball team to the head coach of LA Pierce College. He shares bout the one-time Coach Picketts actually picked up his office phone and how a random question about a Filipino baseball player led him to be the head coach of the Philippines Baseball team. Coach Picketts talks about going out to the Philippines, his surprise how passionate they are about baseball and what his long- and short-term goals are out with building baseball from the ground u

Joined today by co-host of “True Crime Garage“ and author of the incredible new book "The Delphi Murders: The Quest to Find The Man on the Bridge", Nic Edwards. Nic shares why he chose to write a book on this horrific case, what the process of writing his first book was like, and how he juggled researching his podcast and writing the book simultaneously. We chat about the case starting with the last time Abby and Libby were seen alive, that first night and the search, and the next morning when their bodies were discovered. Nic and I go over the investigation, from the changing of the suspects picture to having numerous law enforcement agencies involved to the number of potential suspects. We discuss how a case with a snapshot and a voice recording of a suspect didn't result in an immediate arrest. We talk about some of the evidence against Richard Allen, speculate if there will be more arrests and why we are all eagerly awaiting the trial. Nic tells us about hosting the uber popular podcast, “True Crime Garag

Joined today by Pulitzer Prize winning author, David Maraniss. David and I chat about getting the phone call that he won the Pulitzer, the gifts that come with it and what he did the first time he saw someone reading his book. David talks about his podcast with his daughter “Ink in our blood” and what made him want to venture into that medium. We hear why David makes it a point to visit, and often times, move to the location where the subject of his book is from; and the significance of talking to every possibly person and how he gains their trust. David talks about his latest book “Path Lit by Lighting: The Life of Jim Thorpe”, what made him want to write about him, his legacy, and the biggest misconceptions about him. David and I touch on his other books: “Rome 1960”, their importance and why Rafer Johnson was chosen to be on his cover; “When Pride Still Mattered” and how Packers football is LIFE in Green Bay and his other work.  David tells two amazing stories that you just need to hear: 1. About his relat

Joined today by traveler and author of the tremendous book “Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth”, Dave Seminara. Dave talks about growing up in Buffalo, the tragedy he feels being a Buffalo Bills fan, and if he’s losing hope that he’ll ever witness his team win a Super Bowl. Dave then talks about why he joined the foreign service, daily activities while serving in Macedonia, and why he decided to leave that gig. We hear about why he decided to start writing and how a 642 tennis rally got him his first real press in the New York times. Dave and I talk about the wild world of traveling and how his idea of starting a television show about travelers led him to the fascinating William Bakeland. We discuss how William, who’s an alleged con artist somehow scammed some of the world’s most experienced and well respected travelers. We hear how much money William stole from people, if he’s still wanted, and how he reached out to Dave after the book was released. We cha

Joined today by TWO New York Times best-selling authors, Erik Larson and Abbott Kahler. Abbott and Erik share their story on how they met 20 years ago, what shocked them to learn about each other, and why they have stayed friends for such a long period of time. Abbott talks about why she changed her name at 40, if she is worried that her name change will affect her book sales, and why changing her first name to Abbott might actually help her non-fiction writing. We chat about Abboot working as a beat reporter in Philly, doing ride alongs, and the cattiness that are Philly sport fans. Abbott chats about her new upcoming podcast, the process with doing it and when it's dropping. We talk about her hit book "The Ghosts of Eden Park", why and when she became fascinated with George Remus, what he meant to prohibition, if he's the greatest bootlegger of all time, and the murder and the trial of the century. Erik and Abbott share about putting their boots to the ground and doing old fashion detective work when they r

Joined today by New York Times best-selling author Jeff Guinn. Jeff and I talk about last night’s Super Bowl; where he watched it and what he thought of the horrendous “holding” call. Jeff looks back on the first time he saw someone reading his book and what happened that caused him to never approach someone holding his book ever again. He goes on to talk about his incredible new book “ Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage”. Jeff shares his initial thoughts of the davidians, why researching this book was so difficult and how he juggled putting it all together.  We discuss David Koresh and how a shy, stuttering boy transformed himself into a biblical scholar/leader with a loyal following that were willing to die for what they believed. We talk about the ineptitude of the ATF, all their mistakes and question why they didn’t arrest David without any news cameras and fan fare. Jeff opens up about how investing years of his life into such a tragic event gave him nightmares and how he’s de

Joined today all the way from Uganda, viral baseball sensation Kasumba Dennis and his coach Paul Wafula.  We talk about visiting Uganda, gorilla trekking, what’s there to do there and food you must try when you visit the Pearl of Africa. We discuss how the United States military came to Uganda and how the citizens saw them playing and fell in love with the game. We chat about how Coach Paul’s talent was noticed by a Japanese scout and how that led to him trying out in Japan. We hear about Kasumba’s unique training, using cardboard as a glove and how his practice videos have gone viral. Coach Paul tell us how we can help, what equipment they need, and how we can get baseball growing in Uganda. All this and much much more with two baseball lovers from the other side of the world. > Follow Kasumba and check out his videos here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/KASUMBADENNIS4 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kasumbadennis648

Joined today by Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for Baseball United, John Miedrich. John talks about growing up in Long Island, why he joined the NYPD, and what lifelong lessons he learned early on in his life patrolling the streets of East New York. We chat about his illustrious career climbing the ranks and serving as the commanding officer of the NYPD International Liaison Unit. John tells an incredible story of his team of international detectives who received information of the murder of an 8-month-old baby and located and arrested the perpetrator in Thailand in under 48 hours.  John talks about visiting the Dominican Republic and noticing the poverty amongst the young athletes there. He donated equipment and time which helped lead to his starting his own baseball academy down there. We then talk about BASEBALL UNITED, the first ever profession baseball league serving the Middle East and South Asia, attempting to bring America's pastime to over 2 billion new fans. We discuss how the dream

Joined today by award winning author of "Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain", Charles Leerhsen. Charles and I talk about growing up in New York, becoming an editor for Sports Illustrated, and when he knew the time had come to move on from SI. We discuss his time writing for Newsday, venturing out on his own projects and how he convinced Simon and Schuster to allow him to write about about a horse from the 1890’s, Dan Patch. Charles shares when and why he decided to write a book about Anthony Bourdain, the hurdles he faced in getting people to talk about Tony and how he called an audible and reached out to Bourdain’s high school friends and characters from Kitchen Confidential to create this book. We chat about the “Bourdain Brand”, becoming famous at an older age and why Tony’s brother didn’t want this book published. Charles talks about the controversial Asia Argento, what she meant to Tony, his obsession and how she made him lose his dignity. All this and a bunch more with the award winn

Joined today by crime reporter, author of “Monster: The True Story of the Jeffrey Dahmer Murders”, and star of the Netflix show “Conversations with a killer”, Anne E. Schwartz.  Annie talks about growing up in Queens, moving to the “Cream City” and volunteering to be the nighttime beat reporter with the Milwaukee PD.  We chat about cop humor, ride alongs and how she gained the trust of the police department.  Annie tells about the phone call that changed her night, responding to Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment, looking around and hearing that there was a human head in the refrigerator. Annie and I talk about if she knew the significance of this crime scene, how she rushed back to the newsroom and how she didn’t get bullied into giving her story away.  We hear why she decided to write the book “Monster” thirty years after the crimes, what has changed with the main players in the last three decades and how being the “Dahmer reporter” gives her street cred all over the world.  Annie shares how Dahmer picked his victi

Joined today by former UFC fighter and current PFL top contender, Chris “The Long Island Killer” Wade. Chris and I talk about World Cup Fever, why he’s ok with the Mets buying every free agent and if he thinks Danny Dimes is the Giants QB for the future. Chris tells us about being part owner of Long Island Strong (Lislandstrong.com), how he got involved and why he always wanted to be his own boss. We chat about why there are so many highly ranked fighters from Long Island, his amateur wrestling career, and when he decided that fighting was going to be his profession. Chris shares the mental aspect of fighting, how dealing with a loss can hang with you for months and what he does to overcome that depression. Chris talks about being extremely outspoken, why he’ll never stop talking about what he believes in and why fighters should be unionized. Chris tells why he joined the PFL, what they are doing differently from the UFC that makes it such an up and coming force and when we should expect to see him in the rin

Joined today by professor, author and retired commanding officer of the NYPD Cold Case Squad, Joseph Giacalone, as well as retired NYPD Lieutenant Sean Williams.  Joe talks about why he joined the NYPD, getting assigned to the 47th precinct and a crazy gun battle that earned him the medal of valor. We talk about his rise through the department to sergeant and then to internal affairs and how restructuring the NYPD training courses earned him a spot in the elite NYPD Cold Case Unit.  Sgt. Giacalone talks about the process of opening a cold case, why cases get stagnant or cold and why the boots on the ground method still reigns supreme.  We chat about some noteworthy cases, hear about legendary detectives and when he knew it was time to retire. We discuss the quadruple murder in Idaho, why the police did the right thing by not releasing info to the media and how and when Joe knew they had a suspect in sight. All this and much more with retired Sgt. Giacalone and Lt. Williams.    Follow Joe Giacalone on the foll

Joined today by Country Music artist and rabid Kentucky basketball fan, JD Shelburne.  JD talks about his favorite Christmas songs, the best and worst things about growing up on a tobacco farm in Kentucky, and attending University of Kentucky (UK). We chat about the current state of Kentucky basketball, where we were when we found out we signed Coach Cal, and if we expect too much from the players as fans. JD shares about teaching himself to play a guitar after his grandmother passed away, promoting himself and faking it until he made it. We discuss his loyal fan base, playing over 250 shows a year and what’s the one thing he needs in his dressing room. JD tells a tremendous story about meeting his childhood idol Ken Griffey Jr., getting the call that he was going to open for ZZ Top and being on the cover of the Kentucky tourism magazine.  All this plus texting with Jack Harlow, his dream duet and the coolest piece of memorabilia he owns. Follow JD here and check out his listening release party here - htt

Joined today by runner, journalist and New York Times Best Selling Author, Christopher McDougall. Chris talks about growing up in Philly, moving out to Lancaster and then settling down in Hawaii. Chris tells me how he was recruited for crew during his basketball practice and how he parlayed that into rowing for Harvard. We hear how as a failed High School English teacher, he decided to backpack through Europe and before he knew it he was the Associated Press‘ war correspondent in Angola and the Congo. Chris and I open up about the importance of not holding in your feelings and what he saw in Rwanda that made him come back home to the States. We hear how a writing assignment about a Mexican pop star turned into him being immersed in the Tarahumara Tribe and eventually witnessing "The Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen". As a first time author, Chris recalls checking the reviews on the book, how he starting selling the books himself and how he got booked on the Jon Stewart Show. Chris talks about his newest

Joined today by Baseball Hall of Famer and one of the owners of Baseball United, Barry Larkin. Barry talks about what he loves about New York, from its energy to the passionate fans and tells a hilarious story about playing at Shea Stadium. We chat about Baseball United, the first professional baseball league created to serve the Middle East and South Asia and what was so intriguing about this venture that Barry knew he had to get involved. He shares his ventures working as an ambassador overseas to help grow the game of baseball under Presidents Bush and Obama. Barry talks about coaching baseball in Brazil, the hurdles he faced by attempting to intergrade baseball in a soccer-centric country and how he's going to use that knowledge to bring America's pastime to a cricket mad region with over 1 billion fans through Baseball United. We converse about what he wants to accomplish as one of the owners, why it's important to develop baseball from the ground up and how many jobs and opportunities this will create f